Mr Monk and the Hero
by iloveromance
Summary: When Monk loses a sentimental possession, he is completely devastated until an unlikely hero comes to the rescue. Written in memory of Stanley Kammel who played my favorite character, Dr. Charles Kroger.
1. Chapter 1

"So Adrian, is there anything special that you want to talk about today?" Dr. Kroger asked as they began their session.

Adrian couldn't help himself. He grinned.

Seeing Adrian's expression made Dr. Kroger smile. "Adrian, did something happen?"

Adrian laughed softly and stared out at the large window. From it he could see the water sculpture, surrounded by lush, green foliage.

"Nothing happened. Why?"

Dr. Kroger looked at his patient thoughtfully. "You seem... happy. It's nice."

"No... It's not." Adrian said in a sullen voice.

"Now why would you say that?" Dr. Kroger asked.

"It's not... normal." Adrian said.

"Well, Adrian maybe it's not normal to be happy all the time, but for you to be sitting here, laughing. Well... it's a nice change."

Adrian sighed. "I hate change. Change is the worst."

"So why don't you tell me what's made you so happy." Dr. Kroger asked. When he looked at Adrian, he was bewildered to find that Adrian was blushing.

"I had a dream last night." Adrian confessed.

"About Trudy?"

"Mmmm Hmmmm..." Adrian replied; nodding his head.

"Well, would you like to talk about it?" Dr. Kroger asked.

Adrian began to stir in his seat.

"A-All right." Dr. Kroger said, flipping through his notes. "Why don't we move on to something else? How are things going? Any new investigations on the horizon?"

His question was met with silence.

"Adrian?"

"We were dancing... on the beach." Adrian said.

Confused, Dr. Kroger looked up to find his patient in a tranquil state.

"Oh, your dream." Quickly, he began writing in his notepad. "So you were dancing on the beach..."

"... And the moon was full and the stars were out." Adrian's voice became mellow and wistful.

"Well that sounds lovely, Adrian." Dr. Kroger said.

More silence...

"Our song was playing. It was just the two of us. No one else was there. The song went on forever and ever."

Then an even longer silence...

"And then... we kissed." Adrian said as his voice broke.

Dr. Kroger leaned foreword in his chair, watching Adrian in amazement. He'd never seen his patient quite like this before. "That sounds like a wonderful dream. What do you think it means?"

"It means that I still love her." Adrian said.

Dr. Kroger smiled. "Of course you still love her. You always will." Just then he noticed that Adrian seemed distracted.

"Adrian, what are you doing?"

Startled, Adrian looked up. "What?"

"You seem to be fidgeting with something in your pocket."

"Oh..." said Adrian, immediately withdrawing his hand.  
"What do you have in your pocket?" Dr. Kroger asked.

Adrian hesitated, feeling the smooth object hidden deep in his pocket. He had never shown the object inside to anyone.

Dr. Kroger wrote on his notepad. "Well, whatever it is, it must be pretty special."

Adrian looked up, expecting Dr. Kroger to be irritated with him. To his surprise, he was met with a warm smile.

Suddenly, Adrian realized that he trusted Dr. Kroger with his life.

He took a deep breath.

_You can do this, Adrian_. He could almost imagine Trudy saying the words.

His hand shook as he reached into his pocked and pulled out the small blue velvet box.  
Dr. Kroger nodded in understanding and held out his hand. "May I?"

"Okay..." Adrian said nervously. With an unsteady hand, he gave the box to Dr. Kroger. He watched as his friend opened the box, and removed the mysterious treasure.

There in the good doctor's palm lay an exquisite gold ring, adorned with three diamonds.

For a moment, Dr. Kroger was speechless. "Adrian this... this is beautiful. Was it Trudy's?"

Adrian wasn't sure how to answer.

"I've never seen anything like this before. Where did you find it?"

"I-I had it custom-made for Tru-"Adrian winced, wondering why he found it so hard to say her name.

"Really?" Dr. Kroger exclaimed. "You had this made for Trudy?"

Adrian began to feel light-headed. As much as he trusted Dr. Kroger, he knew it was a mistake to show him the ring. It brought back so many painful memories. Why didn't he just keep it to himself?

"Adrian? Are you okay?" Dr. Kroger was asking.

"Sure, I'm fine." Adrian said.

"So you had this beautiful ring made for Trudy?"

Adrian swallowed hard, silently praying that there would be no more questions.

"So what was her reaction when you gave her the ring?" Dr, Kroger asked.

Adrian knew this was coming and yet the directness of the question hit him like a freight train.

"I-I didn't get a chance to give it to her."


	2. Chapter 2

"The car bomb." Dr Kroger said quietly.

"Yes..." Adrian nodded, his voice breaking again.

Dr. Kroger reached over and touched Adrian's hand.

"Oh Adrian. I'm so sorry."

"I-I'm fine." Adrian said, embarrassed at the tears in his eyes.

"Adrian, it's okay to admit that you miss her. Losing Trudy was a terrible, terrible thing."

Unable to take it anymore, Adrian buried his face in his hands and began to sob.

"Adrian..." Dr. Kroger said. He knelt beside his patient, trying his best to console him.

Several minutes later, Dr. Kroger looked at his watch. "Okay, Adrian. I think that's enough for today. Why don't we end this session a little early?"

The suggestion stunned Adrian. "What are you saying?"  
"Adrian you're very upset right now and I think it's best if we continue this anoth-"

"This is about Harold wanting my time slot, isn't it?"

"Adrian you know I can't discuss other patients."

"I knew it! Damn him!" Adrian yelled.

"Adrian, please! This has nothing to do with him! I just think you're getting too emotion-"

But Adrian didn't hear him. He stormed out of Dr. Kroger's office, looking more depressed than ever.


	3. Chapter 3

"Okay, Mr. Monk." Natalie called from the kitchen. "I put all your bottles of Sierra Springs in the refrigerator, arranged by bar code numbers."

Adrian picked up a stack of magazines and carefully set them on the coffee table, arranging them by size.

"Natalie, will you get me a ruler?"

"Sure thing, Mr. Monk." Natalie said. Seconds later, she handed him the ruler.

"Those look great!" she said, admiring his unique skill.

"Almost..." Adrian said. "This one is about two centimeters off." He moved the magazine ever so slightly. "Perfect!"

Oh, Natalie did you get-"

"Don't worry, Mr. Monk. I got your favorite brand of mouthwash." She held up the bottle and read the label. "Extreme Germ-Fighting".

"What about-"

"Wipes? I got those, too." Natalie said, holding up the familiar packaging.

Just then the phone rang. "I'll get that." Natalie said.

"Hello? Oh, Hi Captain. Mr. Monk and I are just putting away his groceries. Yes sir, I got plenty of wipes. What was that? Oh my God! We're on our way!"

"What's going on?" Adrian asked.

"The captain needs us. There may have been another murder."


	4. Chapter 4

"Welcome one and all!" Leland said as Natalie and Adrian arrived at Golden Gate Park.

"We got here as fast as we could." Natalie said.

"You're telling me." Adrian said. "She ran two red lights on the way and-"

"Mr. Monk!" Natalie yelled. "I can't believe you just said that!"

"Don't worry." Randy said. "The Captain's not going to arrest you. Are you, Captain?"

Leland rolled his eyes. "No, Randy. I'm not going to arrest Natalie."

"Sure, that's what you said when you arrested-"

"Are you through?" Leland asked.

"Well, she started it." Randy said, pointing at Natalie.

"Thank you, Randy." Leland said. "Okay everyone. Let's go look at what we have over here."

Adrian, Randy and Natalie followed Leland to a large grassy area. It was an area usually filled with tourists and sun-worshipers. Now, it was a crime zone.

Leland stopped suddenly and Natalie gasped at the gruesome site. She grabbed Adrian's jacket and buried her face in his shirt.

"Oh, sorry." She said, handing him a wipe when he flinched.

"Who is that? Or _was_ is more like it." Adrian asked.

Randy opened his notebook and began to read. "Donald Scott, age 47. Was a highway construction worker."

"Oh my God..." Natalie said. "Was he married? Did he have any kids?"

Randy glanced at his notebook. "Two; a boy and a girl ages 4 and 7."

"Those poor kids." Natalie said sadly.

"So what happened?" Adrian asked.

Leland looked up at the Golden Gate Bridge.

"Well, judging from the looks of things, I'd say he couldn't take it anymore and jumped. "

"My God." Natalie said. "Those kids must be devastated; losing their father so young."

"No... I don't think so." Adrian said.

Natalie looked at her boss in disbelief.

"Mr. Monk! That's a terrible thing to say! What kind of father would do that to his kids?"

"That's not what I meant! I'm not positive but... "

Adrian walked around the taped-off crime scene looking for evidence.

"Well... the body seems to be intact; sort of."

He peered under the sheet. "What's this?"

He bent over and picked up a small metal object. "It's from the bridge. If the guy really had jumped, he would have stood on that ledge up there. This is from the inside of the bridge. He must have gotten his foot caught while he was being shoved over. This was definitely no accident; this was murder."

"Sounds like what we need to do is go up there and examine the bridge up there." Leland said. Then he saw Adrian beginning to panic.

"Now calm down, Monk. No one's going to make you climb a 746 foot bridge." Leland said. "Randy will be happy to check it out."

"I would?" Randy asked; incredulous.

Leland patted Randy on the back. "Randy, you'll be just fine."

All of a sudden, a faceless figure ran by, knocking Adrian to the ground.

"Oh, Mr. Monk! Are you okay?" Natalie said. She rushed to his side.

"I think so..." Adrian groaned.

"I got him, Captain!" Randy said when he saw the figure run past him. He drew his gun and fired a shot, which caused the man to run faster.

Come back here you jackass!" Randy yelled.

"Follow him! Randy!" Leland said. "Don't let him get away!"

"Captain, I think I'm going to take Mr. Monk home." Natalie said.

"That's a good idea. He's had a heck of a day." Leland said.

"Monk, get some rest. Randy and I can handle it from here. We'll call you if we need you."


	5. Chapter 5

"Come on, Mr. Monk." Natalie said when the Captain left. "Let's sit on this bench over here."

"Do we have to?" Adrian said wearily.

"Just for a few minutes, okay? I want to make sure you're okay, plus I need to call Julie."

She guided him over to the park bench and they sat down. "I'm just going to make a phone call, Mr. Monk. It won't take long."

Adrian leaned against the back of the bench and closed his eyes. Then he reached into his pocket, eager to touch the soft velvet material once more.

But something was wrong. It wasn't there.

"NATALIE! OH MY GOD!" Adrian yelled.

At Adrian's outburst, Natalie jumped. "What is it, Mr. Monk?"

"Oh no! This is terrible!" Adrian yelled again.

"Oh my God... Mr. Monk! What's wrong?"

"It's gone! Trudy!" Adrian cried. He dropped to his knees, searching frantically

for the velvet box.

"Mr. Monk! What are we looking for?" Natalie asked.

Adrian froze.

He couldn't tell her about this. Dr. Kroger was the only one he had ever seen the ring and Adrian regretted showing anyone at all.

It was one of the few things he had that still connected him to Trudy.

And now it was gone...

His life was over.


	6. Chapter 6

"This can't be! I just had it!" Adrian cried. "Oh Trudy! I'm so sorry!" He buried his hands in his face and began to sob.

Natalie knelled beside him and rubbed his back. "Mr. Monk, what happened? What did you lose? Let me help you find it!"

Adrian shook his head. "It's no use. It's gone forever. My Trudy. Gone..."

Natalie looked at her boss, puzzled. She'd seen him freak out before, but never quite like this.

"Come on, Mr. Monk. We should get you home." She pulled him to his feet and guided him to her car; all the while his sobs were breaking her heart.

"No! We can't leave! We have to find it now!" Adrian yelled.

"Mr. Monk, its getting dark! You'll never find whatever you're looking for now! Let's get you home and you can come back tomorrow and look for whatever it is. I'll help you. If you'll just tell me what it is."

Adrian shook his head. "No. I can't ever tell anyone. "

Natalie looked at her watch; exasperated. "Mr. Monk I have to go pickup Julie. We need to get going."

"Go then!" Adrian yelled.

"Mr. Monk! What has gotten into you?"

Adrian sat down on the bench. "Nothing! Please leave me alone!"

Natalie's face registered hurt, but Adrian said nothing.

"Okay, Mr. Monk. If that's the way you want it, I'll go. Are you going to be okay getting home by yourself?"

"I'll be fine!" Adrian yelled.

Wordlessly, Natalie picked up her purse and walked back to the car, glancing at her boss along the way. The hurt in her eyes was unmistakable.


	7. Chapter 7

Tears filled Natalie's eyes as she drove down Meadow Street. Quickly she

brushed them away. She couldn't let Julie see her crying. And why was she

crying, anyway? Mr. Monk was only her boss. Bosses yelled at their employees all

the time.

But this was no ordinary boss.

What had gotten into him? He was always so caring, in his own strange (but

unique) way. He'd never lashed out like that at her before...ever.

She couldn't figure out what happened. One minute they were helping each

other in the kitchen and the next he was at her throat. He mentioned Trudy a

few

times. Is it Trudy's birthday? No... That wouldn't be for several months. She

made

sure she noted it on the calendar; just like Mr. Monk asked. Anniversary

maybe?

No. That had just passed. Like Adrian Monk, it was a complete mystery to her.

She swallowed hard as she turned into the driveway, wishing things were the

way they used to be.


	8. Chapter 8

Adrian sat down on the bench, exhausted. He'd been through every inch of

Golden Gate

Park looking for the blue velvet box and came up empty-handed. How could he

have been so stupid? His first thought was to blame Dr. Kroger; as he'd done

when Dr. Kroger briefly left his practice after Theresa was murdered.

But this was different.

It was his fault. If only he hadn't decided to take it with him. Why couldn't he

have left it at home? That ring was unique. There will never be another one like

it. How could he have lost it like this? The question swirled in his mind over and

over again.

It was dark now, but he didn't care. He decided to search the ground once more.

And then the unthinkable happened. He solved the case.


	9. Chapter 9

"Captain Stottlemeyer! Come quick!" Adrian yelled.

Leland and Randy came running toward him.

"Monk! I thought you went home. Where's Natalie?"

"Oh... she left without me." Adrian said.

"_She left without you_? What happened?" Leland asked, unable to believe what he was hearing.

"That's not the point!" Adrian said. "I solved the case!"

Randy and Leland were shocked. "That's amazing! How?"

Adrian held out his hand, revealing the metal bolt.

"I found this earlier. It came from the bridge and I thought there's no way that Donald Scott jumped because this one has orange paint on it. "

"Yeah, so?" Leland prompted.

"So? Donald had been working late, painting the bridge. The guy who killed him is the same one whom Randy caught earlier. I noticed a streak of orange paint on the front of his shirt when he knocked me down. Donald had the same orange paint, only it was on his back. The paint was still wet when the he was attacked. "

Randy smiled. "That's amazing. Really."

"So explain to me what happened with Natalie. Why she left you here by yourself." Leland said.

"Oh... that was my fault." Adrian said. He covered his face with his hand.

"Monk? Are you okay?" Randy asked.

"No..." Adrian wailed. "Everyone I care about leaves me. First Trudy, now Natalie. I'm sure you two won't be far behind."

Leland looked at Randy. "Okay, I think this is a job for Dr. Kroger. He dialed the number on his cell phone.

"Dr. Kroger, please. It's Leland Stottlemeyer, calling about a patient of his, Adrian Monk. Yes, it's rather important. Please have him call us ASAP."

"All right, Monk. With any luck this phone should be ringing soon." Leland said.

"We'll just wait here until it does."

After several minutes, the phone finally rang.

"Captain Stottlemeyer. Oh, Dr Kroger. Thank you so much for calling back. Yes, I'm calling about Adrian. He seems upset over something and I'm worried. What's that? Okay. That's very kind of you. Thank you. We'll be right over."


	10. Chapter 10

They drove in silence. The radio was tuned to an oldies station; Leland's favorite kind of music.

"So, Monk." Leland said. "Are you going to tell me what happened with Natalie, or do I have to drag it out of you?"

Suddenly, Adrian realized what he had done to Natalie. He'd never spoken to her that way before; ever.

Then he began to panic. What if she decided to quit? He couldn't take losing another assistant. In the past few years, he'd grown to care about Natalie. To trust her. She was always there for him and he let her down.

"Leland, what have I done?" Adrian moaned.

"Look Monk. We're finally here. Now go on inside. Dr. Kroger should be waiting for you. I'll call you when we get more information about the case."

"Thank you, Leland." Adrian said.

Then Adrian was alone. He stood by the front door and was filled with relief when the familiar car pulled into the parking lot.

"Adrian. I'm sorry to have kept you." Dr. Kroger said when he got out of the car. Were you waiting long?"

"No..." Adrian said.

"Well come on in. Let's talk this over."


	11. Chapter 11

They went inside and Dr. Kroger turned on his office light. "I don't usually see patients this late in the evening, but for you I made an exception."

"Thank you." Adrian said.

Dr. Kroger handed him a bottle of Sierra Springs water. Have a seat."

Adrian sat down in the familiar chair. It felt like home to him.

"So now, Adrian. The Captain tells me that you were upset."

Adrian took a big sip of the water and nodded.

"Okay, earlier we were talking about how you've been missing Trudy. How are you coping with that?"

Adrian covered his eyes with his hand.

"I see... Adrian, do you still have the ring box?"

Immediately Adrian stood "No! I don't. I can't find it anywhere and it's driving me crazy! My one connection to Trudy and it's gone!"

Now Dr. Kroger understood.

"I'm sorry Adrian. I know how much that ring meant to you. But that doesn't mean you've lost your connection to Trudy. She's always in your heart and in your memories."

Adrian looked up at Dr. Kroger. The thought had never occurred to him before.

"So you're saying..."

"That you don't need material things to hold on to those you love. They always live on in your heart."

To his amazement, Adrian smiled a little. Then he remembered Natalie. He'd probably never see her again.

"So is there anything else you want to talk about?" Dr. Kroger asked.

"I think I've lost Natalie, too." Adrian said.

"What makes you think that?"

"Well when I realized that the ring was gone, I..."

"What happened, Adrian?"

"I hurt her."

Dr. Kroger was intrigued. He'd never heard this kind of talk from Adrian before.

"Hurt her in what way?"

"Well, I started yelling at her and told her to go away. So she did."

"Did she know why you were so angry?"

"No... I can't tell her about the ring. She'd never understand."

"Well, she's a woman. I think she'd find the story of Trudy's would-be ring very fascinating." Dr. Kroger said.

"Really?" Adrian said.

"I really do." Dr. Kroger said.

"Well, it doesn't matter anymore because it's gone forever." Adrian slunk lower in his chair.

"Now Adrian what did we just talk about here? Material things aren't important. It's how much you love and care for people that counts, okay?"

"Okay..." Adrian said.

"All right. Now let me drive you home."


	12. Chapter 12

Mr. Monk had left six messages in the past hour, begging Natalie to come back. Part of her really wanted to. After all; being his assistant was the best job she'd ever had. The money wasn't great but she got to do things and meet people that she would never have met in her past jobs.

But part of her was still hurt by his outbursts at Golden Gate Park.

She'd never be able to find another job. Not in this awful economy. And then there was Julie to think about...

The phone rang again, and this time she answered it.

"Okay, Mr. Monk. I accept your apology." She said.

"How'd you know it was me?" Adrian said.

"Oh, just lucky, I suppose." Natalie said.

"Can you come over?" Adrian asked.

"Mr. Monk it's really late. Can't it wait until-"

"Please, Natalie! I have something to say." Adrian said.

"Okay, Mr. Monk. I'll be right there." Natalie said.


	13. Chapter 13

Natalie had tears in her eyes.

"Mr. Monk that was a beautiful story. I'm so sorry you were never able to give Trudy the ring."

Adrian looked away shyly.

"I-I thought about giving it to you. To make up for how terrible I treated you earlier. "

Natalie was touched beyond words...

"Me? Oh no, Mr. Monk. I could never take something you were going to give to Trudy."

Adrian sighed with relief.

"Oh, that's good."

Natalie laughed and brushed away a tear.

"Thank you, Mr. Monk. For thinking of me."

Just then, Adrian's phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Adrian this is Dr. Kroger."

"Dr. Kroger... is something wrong?"

"Well, no, but I think you should get over here right away. Can you ask Natalie to drive you?"

"Sure. I'll be right over."

He hung up the phone and looked at Natalie.

"What was that all about?" she asked.

"Dr. Kroger needs to see me right away. I-If you want to, would you mind driving me over there?"

Natalie shook his hand. "Sure, Boss."


	14. Chapter 14

"Dr. Kroger. So nice to see you again." Natalie said as they entered his office.

"It's always a great pleasure to see you, Natalie." Dr. Kroger said. "Listen, I'm sorry to call you over here so late at night but I felt this was important. Do you mind if I talk to Adrian alone for a few minutes?"

"Certainly not." Natalie said. "I'll just sit in the waiting room."

Dr. Kroger and Adrian walked into his private office.

"Thank you for coming over again, Adrian."

"Of course. Is there something wrong? Did Harold find out what I said about him?"

"Take it easy, Adrian. I didn't tell Harold anything. I never divulge private information about my patients."

Adrian breathed a sigh of relief. There was no telling what Harold would do if he were to find out what Adrian really thought about him.

"Have a seat." Dr. Kroger said.

They both sat down and Dr. Kroger looked thoughtfully at his patient.

"Adrian, after I took you home earlier, I had to come back to the office to do some paperwork. I was just getting ready to lock up when I found this..."

To Adrian's amazement, Dr. Kroger produced a familiar box made out of blue velvet.

"But how... How did... I don't understand." Adrian said.

"I realized when you left that I never gave it back to you after you showed it to me. I'm so sorry Adrian. I know that was very traumatic to think that you had lost it. I feel responsible for what happened at Golden Gate Park. I know it's hard enough to investigate a murder with a clear head; much less have emotions hovering over you in the process. "

He held out the box and gave it to Adrian. "If Trudy could see that ring, she would be the happiest woman in the world."

"I-I wanted to give it to Natalie." Adrian said.

"You- Adrian! Really?" Dr. Kroger was astounded.

"And what did Natalie say when you told her about it?"

"She cried."

"How did that make you feel?"

"Are you kidding? I was so uncomfortable!" Adrian said.

Dr. Kroger laughed and looked at his watch.

"Wow, it's almost midnight. I should probably get going. My family is probably getting worried."

"So I'll see you again on Tuesday?" Adrian asked.

"Of course." Dr. Kroger said. "I'm looking foreword to it." He walked Adrian to the door.

"Goodnight, Dr. Kroger." Adrian said.

"Goodnight Adrian. Goodnight Natalie." Dr. Kroger waved as Adrian and Natalie started down the hallway.

They were almost to the front door when Adrian stopped. "What's wrong?" Natalie asked.

"I want to show you this. The only other person who's ever seen it is Dr. Kroger."

"Okay. Great!" Natalie said.

Adrian opened the ring box and showed it to Natalie. Her hand flew to her chest.

"Mr. Monk... that is breathtaking."

Adrian closed the box and put it back in his pocket.

Just as Natalie opened the door to go outside, Adrian stopped suddenly.

"What's wrong, Mr. Monk?"

"Nothing. I just need to take care of something." Adrian said.

Curious, Natalie followed him back to Dr. Kroger's office where Adrian knocked on the door.

"Come in..." Dr. Kroger said. "Oh good. You're here. Would you mind emptying this- Oh, Adrian. I thought you were our cleaning service. Did you forget something?"

Silently, Adrian stood and stared at his friend.

"Adrian, is something wrong?" Dr. Kroger asked.

"No. Nothing's wrong. I just... I can't thank you enough for finding Trudy's ring."

"Oh... Adrian. Thank you. That means a lot to me. "Dr. Kroger extended his hand, expecting Adrian to do the same.

Instead, Adrian did the unthinkable. He gave Dr. Kroger a hug. "You are a true hero."

Wordlessly, Adrian turned and walked down the hall to catch up with Natalie.

Tears filled his eyes as Dr. Kroger stood; unable to believe what he had just witnessed. Adrian Monk hugged him.

He took his notepad and scribbled a note in the latest entry: _Patient expected to make a full recovery. _

_**THE END**_


End file.
